Ultra Thin Whole Wheat Crackers
Introduction
Ahhh – crackers – the satisfying crunch, the sweet taste.
A good cracker is a crowd-pleaser.
This cracker recipe is quite simple: whole wheat flour, water, a small amount of yeast (sourdough or conventional), a little salt and some rest time – preferably overnight.
A pasta machine is helpful to get an ultra-thin cracker but you can achieve similar results with a rolling pin and extra elbow grease.
Whole Wheat Flour
You can make this recipe with white all purpose flour if you like and the texture will be great.
However, the flavor will not be as complex or satisfying as with whole wheat flour, preferably from freshly milled wheat berries.
Most of the flavor from wheat berries comes from the mineral rich exterior bran layer and the oil rich nutritious germ – both of which are typically removed when making all purpose flour – as summarized in image below (based on figure in this scientific article).
As discussed in this post on choosing a grain mill, it is possible to mill small amounts of wheat berries in a high speed blender.
If you are new to using wheat berries, this post provides an overview of the different types of wheat berries, the difference in flavor and where to buy them online.
When making crackers, I like to use a durum wheat or Kamut as discussed in detail in this post.
Durum wheat and Kamut are mild and buttery in flavor and extra crunchy – all the requirements of a perfect cracker.
You can use any hard wheat variety you like.
Keep in mind the darker colored varieties will have a stronger, nuttier flavor because of tannins.
When flour is freshly milled, the tannin flavor typically is not overwhelming but the longer the flour sits, the more bitterness can develop.
Some soft wheat varieties, such as Sonora wheat, will work as well if they have sufficient gluten.
Other ancient grains in the wheat family including einkorn, emmer and spelt will also work.
It is because freshly milled whole grains are so flavorful that there is no need for added fat or sugar.
To purchase whole wheat varieties (including durum, Kamut, Sonora, einkorn, emmer and spelt) and freshly stone milled flours, please see this post which includes a free PDF download of over 60 online sources of wheat with budget friendly tips.
Water
Filtered water is best for this recipe.
You can use tap water if you let it stand at room temperature for a day or boil it for 15 minutes to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
Salt
Any iodine free salt will work.
I like to use a fine mineral rich salt such as Himalayan sea salt, Realsalt or grey salt.
This recipe calls for 1% salt relative to the amount of flour.
Most baking recipes use 1.5% to 2% salt relative to flour.
The low salt ratio is intentional because the goal of this recipe is to bring out the flavor of the freshly milled whole wheat.
You certainly can increase the salt if you like to a maximum of 2% but I would suggest starting with the 1% ratio as you are likely to find it sufficient.
Yeast
A small amount of yeast (sourdough or conventional) is used in this recipe.
The sourdough used doesn’t need to be recently refreshed.
Yeast fermentation is part of the process that slowly breaks down the anti nutrient phytic acid in the bran layer of the wheat into a fully digestible form.
A minimum of 8 hours of room temperature rest time is suggested to fully break down the phytic acid and also bring out more flavor in the dough.
The fermentation time also helps to lightly aerate the dough as gas naturally is released during the process.
Baking soda and baking powder are not as good alternatives because the time for flavor development is shortened and baking soda in particular can leave a strong aftertaste.
Variations
If you are aiming to discover the true flavor of whole grains, I would suggest sticking with the basic recipe at least the first time around.
Keep in mind that a neutral cracker is great combined with any number of dips such as hummus, guacamole, babaganoush, etc.
But if you want to explore further, this basic cracker recipe can be varied in many ways.
You can easily add small seeds to the dough such as poppy seeds or pre-toasted sesame seeds.
Dried spices can be included such as garlic, onion, paprika, rosemary, etc.
You can even make a sweet cracker if you like by adding dessert spices and a sweetener such as maple syrup.
Since freshly milled whole wheat flour is already sweet, you don’t really need much at all to turn it into a dessert cracker or fat free cookie.
As long as you keep the dry spices and seeds to no more than 5 grams (around a tablespoon) per 100 gram of flour (2/3 cup), then there is no need to adjust the recipe.
If you use a liquid sweetener, you will want to reduce the water amount.
For example, if you add 2 teaspoons of maple syrup (around 10 grams) then you will want to reduce the water about by 2 teaspoons.
Conclusion
These crackers are ideal for a wheat tasting party, as explained in this post.
Wishing you a crunchy experience and a fun exploration into all the wonderful possibilities of whole wheat!
Ultra Thin Whole Wheat Crackers Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pasta machine ( alternate: rolling pin and 2 sheets of parchment paper )
- 1 baking sheet ( alternate: pizza pan )
- 1 Danish dough whisk ( alternate: wooden spoon)
- 1 digital scale ( alternate: measuring cup )
- 1 pastry wheel ( alternate: knife )
- 1 dough cutter ( alternate: knife )
Ingredients
- 200 grams wheat berries ( see flour discussion in main post)
- 110 grams filtered water
- 5 grams sourdough (alternate: pinch of conventional yeast)
- 1 gram sea salt (see discussion in main post)
- tapioca starch ( alternate: any fine flour )
Instructions
Mill Wheat Berries
- Measure out wheat berries.
- Place berries stone mill at coarse setting and mill once.
- Place flour in stone mill at fine setting and mill again.
Mix Ingredients
- Combine flour and salt in a bowl.
- Dilute sourdough (or conventional yeast) in water.
- Pour water over flour and combine with dough whisk.
Rest time
- Shape dough into a ball and let rest 8 hours at room temperature in a covered bowl.
- Proceed to next step after 8 hours or refrigerate for up to 5 days (crackers will acquire a more sour flavor).
Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 450 °F for at least 20 minutes prior to making crackers.
Roll Out Crackers Using Pasta Machine
- Divide dough in half using bowl scraper.
- Flour dough with tapioca starch and flatten it out with a rolling pin or by hand to around ¼ inch thickness.
- Pass through pasta machine at widest setting.
- Fold dough on itself like an envelope and pass through at widest setting a couple more times.
- Move on to the next pasta setting and pass dough through once.
- Keep on passing dough once through each setting.
- Divide dough in half lengthwise if it becomes too long to manage.
- Place dough through thinnest setting and then set on parchment paper.
Alternate: Roll Out Dough With Rolling Pin
- For beginners, it is best to start with a small quantity of dough ( around 50 grams or 2 ounces).
- Use liberal amounts of flour to prevent sticking.
- Roll out until dough is equivalent of 88 square inches (8 inches by 11 inches).
Shape Crackers
- Use pastry cutter to shape crackers as you prefer. (1 inch by 4 inch is a good size for dipping)
Bake Crackers
- Transfer crackers with parchment paper to baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for a minimum of 3 minutes.
- Remove from oven when cracker edges start to brown – be careful not to burn.
Dry Crackers
- Allow to cool on drying rack for a couple of minutes
Serve Crackers
- Crackers can be served immediately. Pasta machine crackers (on left) will typically be thinner than hand rolled crackers (on right).
Store Crackers
- In the unlikely event there are any crackers left, they can be stored in an airtight container such as a mason jar for about 5 days.
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